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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stem — to come from
  9. file — a tool
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. swing — in golf
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lean — to bend
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a line of people
  19. swing — to play on
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. file — a document
  23. swing — music
  24. press — to push

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com